Heat regulating device



Aug. 13, 1935.v E. w. BALLENTINE A l HEAT REGULATING DEVICE Filed March l5, 1934v Patented Aug. 13, 1935 PATENT oFFslcE i z.n'11,ozs d HEAT BEGULATING nevica Earle W. Ballantine, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Solar Industries, Inc., Chicago, lll., a corpora- .tion of Illinois Application Marchl 15, 1934, Serial No. 715,787

e 3 claims. (ci. 15s-a8)l This invention relates to improvements in heat regulating devicesand more particularly to improvements in interlocked" electric circuits controlling burner motors and ignition apparatus associated therewith, of the general class disclosed in Patent No. 1,727,308.

The objects of my invention are to provide means whereby a burner fuel feeding motor can be started when there is a call for heat; to provide means to stop the burner motor when sumcient heat has been obtained; to' provide fuel and means for ignition; to provide means whereby after name is obtained, the ignition meansvis d isconnected; to provide for the interruption of the fuel supply at the end of a predetermined time, ninety seconds in this particular embodiment of my device, in case flame or ignition is not successfully obtained; to prevent restarting of the burner motor or ignition means. after power failure, until the system is in proper condition; and generallyto provide means insuring safety throughout the system and economy of burner and ignition operation. l

Other objects of my invention are to provide .for an ignition timing cycle, by means of a timing switch or equivalent device, which functions whenever the motor is energized and is so ar ranged as to open the motor and ignition circuits within a predetermined time, unls said timing device is shorted out of` the circuit previous to the expiration of this time; to provide a thermostatic device which allows closing of the motor endignition circuits only when a predetermined temperature has been reached; to provide means whereby the timer device cannot operate when ignition has been successful unless the flame goes out after ignition has been obtained; to provide means whereby when flame is obtained, the ignition apparatus and the motor and starting circuit are electrically disconnected; to provide an arrangement of two relays respectively controlling the motor circuit and the ignition circuit, and the -circuit through two thermostati device, one a timing device, such that when the motor circuit and the circuit to the other thermostatic device are closed, a timing operation is initiated and controlled; to provide a thermostatic device located in the stack or otherwise conveniently positioned adjacent to the burner flame. whereby after flame is obtained, this thermostatic device will cause one relay to open the ignition circuit; to provide means whereby this last named stack controlwillalsooperatetoshortoutthetiming device after flame is obtained; to provide means A whereby the stack control, when in the hot pon tion, will not permit completion of the motor or ignition circuits; and to provide means whereby all the above relays and thermostatic devices operate at a relatively low potential withrespect to the line voltage at which the motor and ignition circuits operate.

Other objects and advantages of my'invention will appear from the following description the control circuit.

In the accompanying drawing, the source of electrical power is indicated by the lines 6 and 1. The lines Ii and 1 have across them the primary 8 of the transformer 9. The secondary I Il of this transformer is connected by lead II to thel thermostainc device I2, which is generally positioned in the room whose heat it is desired to control. This thermostatic device has an arm I3 and a contact point I4. The contact point I4 i's connected by means of the lead I5 to the Y main relay coil I6 and by means of the lead I1 to the coil I8 of the ignition relay. 'I'he circuit from the coil I 6 of the main relay ris completed by the lead I9, the thermal safety switch or timing device 20 and the lead 2I to the opposite side of the transformer secondary from that to which the thermostatic device I2 is connected.

The circuit through the ignition relay coil I8 continues through the lead 22 to the contact point 23 in the stack control 24. When the stack control arm 25 is in the cold position, it is in contact with the point 23 and the circuit is continued through the lead 26 to the contact arm 21. 'This contact arm 21 is adapted to make contact with one of two points, either point 28 or point 29.Y When the main relay has been energized, arm 21 is drawn into contact with point 29, and the ignition relay coil circuit is completed through the lead '30, I9, the thermal switch 2li, and the lead 2| back to the `source of energizing current in the form of the transformer secondary III. When the main relay is not operating, the contact arm 21 will lie against the point 28 and the leads 3|, I5 and I1 will thus complete a shimt circuit back to the ignition relay coil and render that relay inoperative. The ignition relay coil controls the movement of the arm 32,' and when in energized position, draws it against the contact point 33, whereby the ignition circuit is .completed from the line 6 along the lead .3| through the 'point 33, the arm 32, the lead 35 to the ignition transformer, and thence through the leads 36 and 31 back to the other "supply line 1.

' and the figure, which is a diagrammatic View of 1 the contactarm 21 into-contact with the point 29, as before discussed,-'and the arm 28 into contact withy the' point 3 9, whereby the motor circuit is completed as follows: 6, 34,40, 39, 38, and 4I 4tothemotor 4`I,and then 31 and 1 back to the source of power supply. When the main relay isl energized and stack control 24 is in the hotV position, wherein the arm 25 makes contact with the point 42, the thermal safety switch 20 is shorted out as follows: 30, 29, 21, 26, 25, 42 and 43.

The thermal safety switch 20 is of the type which contains a heating'coil 44 and a set of thermostatic contacts 45 and 46, whereby after current has flowed through the heating coil for a. predetermined length of time, the contacts will be broken, and will not return to operative po- `contact type and/ftheother making one contactin the energized position, and another in the de-energized position. The stack control 25. is

a therinostatic device making contact with one- I point-in the cold position and with another when it is heated.

Normal operation Assuming the entire circuit to have been inoperative for a reasonable length of time, and yet assuming that the room temperature has not dropped sufficiently to. close the contactslin the thermostat I2, the entire circuit will be in the condition illustrated in the accompanying drawing. When the room temperature drops below contacts and a circuit energizing the main re- 21, 29, an, le, zo, and 2|.

the desired point, the thermostat I2 closes its lay I6 is completed as follows: II, I3, I4, I5, I5, I9, 20, 2I'and I0. AThis draws up both arms Voi? the main relay, arm 38 closing the motor control circuit as previously described, and arm 21 making contact with point 29 to complete a circuit whereby the ignition relay I8 is energized as follows: I0, Il, I3, I4, I5, I1, I8, 22, 23, 25, 26, Energization of the ignition relay I8 closes the contacts 32 and 33 r and completes the circuit to the ignition means as previouslyfdescribed.

.If the ignition means igntes the fuel being" supplied by the burner motor 41, the names will, in a very few seconds, cause the stack control arm 25 tomove over into-the hot position,thus making contact with the point 42 and shorting out the thermal safety switch 20 as previously described. The moving of the stack controlarm 25 also breaks the ignition relay circuit at the o point 23. This breaks'the ignition circuit at the ative.

point 33-V and renders the ignition means inopermay be necessary'to warm the `room to a point which will cause the thermostat I2 to break its contacts, de-energize the main relay, and thus render the entire circuit inoperative. After the 4stack control thermostat has cooled sufficiently This places the circuit in condition to operate the burner motor for as long a time as- Operation when ignition is not obtained be no nse in the temperature of the stack due to ames and, consequently, the stack control will remain in the cold position. With the stack control in the cold position, lthe thermal safety switch 20 carries the current energizing both relays.` After a predetermined time, in accordance with the setting of this thermal safety switch, the heating coil 44 will have become sufciently hot to break the contacts at the point 46. As before mentioned, this thermal safety switch is of such a type that once opened, it will not reset itself, but requires manual adjustment to return it to operative position. This feature ensures bringing knowledge of the system failure to the person desiring heat.

Operation in case' of momentary line failure This condition occurs when the burner is in operation andthe power line is momentarily interrupted. The main relay will, of course, be deenergized, but the stack control will still be in the hot position. It will be noticed that the contact 28 on the main relay, against which the arm 21 lies when the relay coil I6 is de-energized, will complete a circuit through the stackicontrol when said control isA in the hot position, which A will short circuit' both the main relay coill and the thermal safety switch. 'Ihis circuit is as follows: II, I3, I4, I5, l3I, 28, 21, 26, 25, 4 2, 43 and I0. If the line voltage reappears while the stack control is hot, the main relay will not close because of its short circuit, and the burner will not start until the stack has cooled suiilciently to return the stack. control switch to its cold position, which is a normal 'starting condition.

Operation as the result of manual momentary opening of the room thermostat contacts If for any reason the room thermostat is op erated manually` to break the contacts I3 and I4, the energizing circuit through the main relay coil I6 will be broken, and the results will be the same as if a momentary line failure or a raise in the room temperature had de-energized the main relay. In other words, the circuit will not per.

mit restarting of the burner motor or-ignition means until the stack control has returned to its cold position, even. though the room thermostat is returned to its returned position soon after its contacts are broken.

Safety features As discussed main relay is de-energized for any reason during operation of the burner, the system cannot be restarted until the stack control has retiuned to its cold position, thus placing the circuit in no'rmal starting condition. As also previously disunder` previous headings, if the d the stack control become stuck in the hot until thestack control had been freed and permitted to return to the cold position.

Thus a two-relay electrical interlocking control circuit is provided in which a flame-responsive device must, during each cycle, prove itself to bein operating conditiomin order that the automatic operation ofthe burner may continue.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, itis to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

`What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: l

l. In combination Vwith means controlling fuel feed and an igniter; a control system comprising in circuit, a main control switch, a current'limiting means, means operable when energized' to efl fectuate igniter operation, an electrically actuated time-limit cut-out switch, a combustion re-' sponsive device having first contacts closed only in the absence of combustion and controlling en' switch, and second and third switches closed upon energization; the former controlling with said second contacts a shunt around said cut-out switch and the'latter controlling the fuel feeding means.

2. In combination with means controlling fuel feed and an igniter; a control system including a transformer and comprising a circuit, a main control switch, the low voltage secondary of said transformer, means operable when energized to elfectuate igniter operation, a'n electrically actuated time-limit cut-out switch, a combustion responsive device having rst contacts closed only j in the absence of combustionand controlling energization of said means and second contacts closed only in the presenceof combustioma relay.

actuating means, and switches controlled thereby including a first switch opened upon energization and controlling w'ith said second contacts a shunt around said actuating means and cut-out switch, and second and third switches closed upon energization; the f ormercontrolling with said second contacts a shunt around said cut-out switch and the latter controlling the fuel feeding means.

3. In a combination with means controlling fuel feed and an igniter, a control system therefor, comprising in circuit: a; current limiting means; a thermostatic device; anV electrically actuated time-limit cut-out switch; a main' relay having an actuating coil, a rst switch closed when said 4 coil is deenergized, and second and third switches closed when said coil is energized, said third switch controlling said fuel feed means; 'means operable when energized to effectuate igniter operation;` a combustion responsive device having first contacts closed only in the absence of combustion and controlling energization of saidignition means and second contacts closed only inY the presence of combustion-whereby; upon a demand for heat and closure of said thermostatic switch a series circuit is established including said coil and said time-limit switch; upon successful combustion said ignition means is deenergized and a second series circuit is established including said thermostatic device, said coil, said secondA switch, and said second contacts, whereby a shunt circuit is provided for saidtime-limit switch; and upon deenergization of said main coil a third circuit is established shunting said main coil and.

cut-out switch including in series said thermostatic device, said mst switch, and said second contacts, thereby preventing energization of said main relay until reclosing of said first contacts. EARLE W. BALLENTINE. 

